Crafting the Amethyst
by Kimmo Pronger
Summary: Sylvester Blackquill tells of the ten-month journey of how he came to meet his sister, Amethyst Blackquill. Cover art by Halouette, used with permission.
1. Fishing Trip

_I'm writing in my journal about the most memorable nine months in my entire life. There are very few things that can compare to something that heaven gave me the pleasure of experiencing. And that's Amethyst, my younger sister._

 _I'm Sylvester Blackquill, and up until I turned eight years old, I was an only child._

 _I remember being very lonely in school, and nobody cared to make friends with me-mostly because of my curly and orange hair that made me stick out like a sore thumb. I looked both like my mother and father in that regard. I had Mother's hair color, and Father's hair from when he was younger. His hair didn't look like that back then, but I saw through old photos that Father had this weird curly hair._

 _It all started a week before my birthday in September. I remember Mother sitting me down and asking me what I wanted. I was sitting in my room, sitting curled up on my bed, feeling lonely and bored…_

* * *

"Sylvester! It's a week before your birthday!" Athena happily called out to her son.

"Y-Yeah…" Sylvester replied with a sense of depression.

Athena walked to Sylveter's bed and then lowered herself to sit down on a nearby chair to get down to his small height for a child. She softly rubbed his forehead and kissed him there. "Sylvester, sweetie, Mommy and Daddy thinks you've been a good boy throughout the year!"

The curly-haired boy blinked at his mother, "Really? Father said that? He always looks so scary that I don't know if he's proud or ashamed of me."

Athena let out a soft giggle at her son's confusion. "I know your dad, Sylvester. He loves you, trust me. He just needs to…loosen up, is all," she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, you're going to be eight years old, soon! You did great in school last year! You earned a reward, so tell Mommy what you want."

Sylvester looked over at the left corner of his bed and slowly scanned his eyes all the way across it until he reached the other corner. It looked so big, his bed. It looked so spacious. He had all this space to himself. His body stretched out wouldn't be able to occupy the whole space.

Suddenly, he got an idea. Many classmates in his school had a brother or sister. He got an idea. Maybe…just maybe...

"Mother, I think I know."

"Oh? Your eyes brightened up! What would you like!?"

"Um…" Sylvester's face turned rosy before he asked, "…Could I have a brother or sister?"

"WH-WH-WH-WH…WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Athena shrieked.

"Athena!? What's wrong?!" Simon yelled as he almost instantly appeared in the room.

Sylvester got scared of his father's sudden presence and Athena's screams, and then hid underneath the sheets in horror, shivering.

"U-U-Uh!" Athena turned to her husband. "S-Simon! Uh… Our son wants a sibling…"

Simon's eyes lit up and then widened. "Blimey! Did he really say that?!"

Sylvester whimpered audibly from beneath the sheets.

Athena sighed. "Simon, go easy on him. He's still scared of you…somehow."

He sighed and then softly rubbed the blanket lump that was his son underneath. "Sylvester…there's no need to be scared of your father, lad. You're his pride and joy, now gather yourself and emerge from out of there."

"O-O-Okay…" He slowly moved from out of the sheets but only so that his upper-half of his body visible. "I-I want…to be a big brother…"

"…Ye gods, he is serious…" Simon quivered in fear.

"Simon, let's hear him out," Athena urged.

"…Fine. Let's have it, lad," Simon lowered his head at his son.

Sylvester took a deep breath before explaining. "I've been looking at the other kids in school, and they all talk about their brothers and sisters. And I have no friends… If I was a big brother, I would try to play with my younger brother or sister, every day. I feel so lonely, Mother, Father."

Athena and Simon looked at each other, wondering what the best course of action would be for their son's benefit. Simon sent a signal to her, which she understood immediately.

Athena turned toward her son and took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "Sylvester…your father and I understand. Believe me. But…that's something really…complicated to get you."

His eyes widened-he didn't want to hear "no" from them. "Mother! What are you saying?! I don't have any friends and nobody wants to play with me! I'm so lonely!"

Sylvester's father sighed at him. "Why can't you try to make friends on your own whim?"

"…It's because this hair I got from you makes me look weird," he answered.

Athena nervously giggled at her husband as he glared daggers at her. Simon cleared his throat to calm down. "Athena, we need to have a long talk about this. We'll have to see right now if we can grant the lonely lad his wish."

"Y-Yes, of course, Simon," she nodded at him.

"Please tell me you're not saying no!" Sylvester begged.

Athena sighed. "We're not. We just…we just have to make sure we're able to do it. Simon, come on. Let's go." She got up from her chair and was escorted out of Sylvester's room by her husband.

* * *

 _At that point, I thought I was going to continue to be lonely. I didn't think that my parents would be able to give me a brother or sister. It was a pretty ambitious and selfish request of me. I guess I was that lonely. I stayed in my room the whole time, lying on my bed. I eventually fell asleep after being lost in thought for so long about what they would tell me, or how they'd say "no." I didn't really hope they'd say "yes" at that point. But when they woke me up, their answer would be a very complicated one, but it wouldn't be a "yes" or a "no."_

* * *

"Sylvester, wake up, sweetie…" Athena gently shook her son awake.

He opened his eyes to see his mother and father standing over him. "Wh-Wha…?"

"We have our answer, Sylvester…"

Here it comes, Sylvester thought. The inevitable "no" that would break his heart.

"We…" Athena swallowed to brace herself. "We… _may_ be able to grant your birthday wish. _Just maybe,_ though."

Sylvester felt a high coming. He nearly jumped from out of his bed. "M-Mother?! What are you saying?"

"I want you to understand something, Sylvester," his father responded. "Your mother and I understand your loneliness of being an only child with no friends. However, do you really want this? Being an older sibling, while joyous, can be quite burdensome… Your Aunt Aura had quite a lot to handle with me. So, are you absolutely sure? You have to be willing to do anything for them."

"I…" Sylvester gathered himself and then let the rest of his answer out. "I don't care. I promise to be the best brother ever!"

The two parents looked at each other again and nodded in sync.

"Okay," Athena said. "We'll see what we can do," she smiled at her son.

"S-So you're really saying…!"

 **"** **Silence!"**

"Eep!" Sylvester retreated underneath the blankets once more.

"Simon! Don't do that! You know it scares him!" Athena yelled at her husband.

"Hmph. I don't want him to get too excited yet, Athena," he responded to his wife.

She rolled her eyes at Simon before looking at Sylvester, who was retreated into the bedsheets. "Sylvester, you're going to have to wait another month for us to give you a 'yes' or a 'no'. But for now, I hope you can accept a little…deal."

"A deal?" Sylvester asked as she emerged from the blanket again.

"Yes!" his mother answered, "We called up your Aunt Aura and she said she'll take you out on a fishing trip with Uncle Apollo. It's a trip for one month, the time it'll take for us to give you an answer."

"We'll try our best, Sylvester, to make it happen," Simon continued, "But, we cannot guarantee anything. All we ask of you is to be patient with your mother and me. Is that understood?"

Sylvester nodded. "O-Okay. Please make it a 'yes'. Please."

"…We will try," Simon said in a low tone as he lowered his head, not wanting to be emotionally moved by the begging eyes of his son.

* * *

 _Looking back on it… I really didn't know what to expect at that point. I was still a child, unable to understand most of the things that made the world go round, especially with how a child was made. …They say ignorance is bliss. A-Anyway… I was going to be sent on a fishing trip with my Uncle Apollo and Aunt Aura by my parents as they try to work on their answer for me. I'm fine with Aunt Aura. She's the best. But Uncle Apollo? Ugh! He's so boring! He doesn't know how to have fun like how Aunt Aura does! To this day, I still have no idea how she works with Uncle Apollo. But, being a mature thinker now, I came to realize that love comes in many forms. And what I saw next when I arrived and their house would be a trial run of being an older sibling...of sorts._


	2. Breaking the News

_One month and a fishing trip weren't really synonymous with each other. Heck, what kind of fishing trip would take a month to complete? That kind of question would pop into my head once Uncle Apollo took me on the plane to their home in the Kingdom of Khura'in. It's probably a question that I should have asked from the start, but I was so caught up in the excitement/nervousness of possibility of being an older brother that just didn't think about it. I was that excited, after all._

 _As said in the first chapter, that one month would be a trial run of being an older sibling. Many more questions to ask Mother and Father came into mind as I spent time getting to know her-a cousin that I never knew I had…_

* * *

The door to Sylvester's home opened and two smiling parents in contrasting colors were there to greet him. Athena had her beautiful motherly smile as she was wearing her yellow dress. Simon had on his black attire that made him look as if he were going to work when he actually isn't. His eyes were hard to see beyond his hair, and he had more of a smirk than a smile plastered on his face.

"He's home safe and sound, guys," Apollo said to the couple.

Athena bent over a little and softly rubbed the top of her son's head. "Hi, Sylvester! Mommy missed you! How was the trip?"

Sylvester scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to ask. What he went through over the course of one month made him feel like it was anything but a vacation. "Uh…" He looked up at Uncle Apollo, signaling to him that he can't exactly say how he felt.

He nodded and then proceeded to speak for the little boy, "…He's wondering why you never told him he had a cousin the same age as he."

"What? Don't you like surprises, little lad?" Simon smirked at his son.

"I…I guess, but… She-Artemis, I mean… She was pretty and weird, and spoke funny, too. And that laugh made me scared! What's even more scary is that she made Uncle Apollo a good guy!" Sylvester made a multitude of childish gestures as he described his cousin.

Apollo frowned at his nephew and sighed. "At least you're nicer to me, Sylvester. Anyway…his point is that Aura and Artemis are a double-trouble pair. So whenever the two were together, he and I hid from them, pretty much."

Athena hopped once and clasped her hands together in enthusiasm. "Aww! You guys sound so adorable!"

Both Sylvester and his uncle looked at Athena funny, thinking that she wouldn't be saying that if she were actually there with them.

Simon cleared his throat to garner the attention to himself, and to change the subject of discussion. "That's enough of that. Thank you for taking care of Sylvester for us. You may go."

Athena elbowed her husband, "Rude, Simon! At least let's offer him some food!"

Apollo raised his palms at them, "Hey, you know me. I gotta get back to Aura right away. She needs help with Artemis."

Simon nodded at him. "Yes. Take care of my niece, lest I-OWW!"

Athena slapped her husband across the face, which led to Sylvester letting out a small giggle. "No! Not in front of the boy! Shame on you!"

All Simon could do was growl in surrender.

* * *

 _So after we waved goodbye to my Uncle Apollo who I now see as less-boring as before, and finding out that I have a cousin the same age as me named Artemis, it was time for me to hear what my parents had to say. They said that by the end of the trip I took for my birthday, they'd give me an answer. After I unpacked my bags and put all my stuff away neatly, I went on top of my comfy bed as they sat down in chairs next to my bedside to tell me the news…_

* * *

"So," Simon smirked at his son. "We've promised that we'd give you an answer, and now we have it. Athena?"

She giggled and pointed her right index finger at her stomach area. "Sylvester, your younger sibling is in here! You're going to be an older brother!"

Immediately, Sylvester's eyes lit up and he shot out of his bed like a rocket, and started jumping on his bed for joy while screaming.

"Hoy! Hoy! Sylvester! You stop that this instant! You're going to break your bed this way! Calm down!" Simon warned at his son as he tried to gently grabbed to hold him still.

Athena giggled at the scene. "It took your father and me some work, but we did it, Sylvester. Your wish is going to be granted. Isn't that sweet?"

"THIS IS SO COOL! OH MY GOSH! I CAN'T WAIT!" Sylvester was practically flailing on the bed with happiness.

* * *

 _When the school year started for me, I started to get weird looks from my classmates. I kept bragging to them about how I'm going to be an older brother. Some said it was cool. Others said that I was going to hell since their own brothers and sisters were a pain to them. Hmph. I wasn't going to let that happen to me. Since I'm the older brother, that means I'm the boss! …Of course, I wasn't thinking about bossing around the sibling I wished for. No. I was going to take care of them with my heart and love. Ah, I'm getting teary-eyed just writing this part down. Ha, ha… In December, it was my first Christmas with my future sibling. I noticed the hump on my mother's womb getting slightly bigger. After coming home from school on a Friday, my parents had more news for me about the baby._

* * *

At the dinner table, Simon and Athena, sitting on opposite ends, looked over at their son who was sitting at the seat perpendicular to both of them on their right.

"We have some news for you, Sylvester. We know what kind of sibling you're going to have," Athena said.

"Really?" Sylvester asked.

Simon nodded at him, "Yes. …We, erm…we discovered that you're going to have a younger sister, Sylvester."

Just then, his face flushed a deep shade of red. "S-Sister?!" His eyes darted around the dining table, then back and forth between his mother and father.

Athena blinked worriedly at his son, "I'm sorry, Sylvester. Were you expecting a baby brother?"

"U-Uh, actually…I was hoping that it would be a girl!"

"…What?" Both his parents said in monotone unison.

Sylvester chuckled nervously at his parents. "If I had a younger brother, I thought I would have to be rough with him a bit. I noticed in the playground that brothers like to wrestle with each other. I...kinda don't like that kind of stuff. So…if it were a girl…I thought that maybe…I wouldn't have to be all rough. Is that…okay?"

Athena shook her head, giggled, and then stared lovingly at her husband. "Simon, our boy is so smart, don't you know?"

Simon averted his eyes from both his wife and son. 'Y-Yes… He's going to be a good brother, no doubt. I'm…honored to have a son like him."

His wife started to laugh out loud at him as she could sense how he was really feeling and the reason why his head was turned away from them. "Come on, Simon! It's just us! You can cry those tears of joy!"

"Athena!" Simon screamed.

"Father can cry!?" Sylvester blushed.

"This will not do, Athena!" Simon yelled while fleeing the dinner table.

She giggled as she slowly walked after her husband. If it weren't for the fact that she was pregnant, she'd run after him. "Simon, Simon, I can't believe that after all these years having a son, you still haven't mellowed out. Just think about how it's going to be once our daughter is born!"

* * *

 _Being introspective over that moment I found out about her really makes me thankful now that she's a girl. Honestly, I think I was hoping it would be a girl because…well…a brother for me really isn't my type… Okay, I'm starting to not make sense here. Anyway, all-in-all, I was very happy to have a baby sister. She was going to be the best. I just knew it at the time. I started to love my little sister, already. But, unfortunately, I was going to have to wait for a bit more time._


	3. Family History

_As the weeks have passed and the weeks turned into more months of waiting, I noticed that my Mother has been quite...wild. One moment she's sweet as pie and then the next moment she's sour as lemon. Thankfully, Father was there to hold her down every time. It's times like this I'm thankful that Father's somewhat intimidating presence is there to help keep Mother in check, not that she was ever intimidated but...I suppose just having Father there was reassuring in itself. I certainly wouldn't even know how to handle Mother and her wild array of emotions. Although, being the older person that I am now, I can see how bearing a child can be a terrible burden._

* * *

Simon closed the door to the master's bedroom, sighing in relief that his wife was finally asleep. Sylvester stood a few inches from the door, looking worriedly at his father.

"Um, is Mother okay? She's been…uh…" He couldn't find the proper words to describe how odd he saw his mother behaving as of late. She was yelling at Simon for no reason, then suddenly very affectionate, crying for no reason, and then very happy. She was going through so many various emotions like a flick of a switch.

His father gave a light chuckle, which slightly surprised Sylvester. He didn't hear his father laugh very often, and was often afraid of him. "It's okay, Sylvester. What your mother is going through is perfectly normal."

Sylvester blinked at him, intrigued. "Really? How would you know, Father?"

Again, Sylvester chuckled, this time a bit more hearty. "Because she acted like this when she was pregnant with _you._ "

Sylvester reeled back slightly in shock and fell on the seat of his pants to the floor. He felt fear, and a lot of it. To think he was inside the stomach of a madwoman!

Simon cleared his throat to silence his chuckling. "Take it easy, Sylvester. Don't take it too seriously. To me, this is nothing. Don't worry about it."

Sylvester slowly got up off the floor and brushed himself off. "O-Okay, Father. If you say so…"

The black-haired Samurai looked at the wall for a moment, scratching his chin. "Sylvester, Son, we don't get a lot of time together like this. Pray tell, would you like to know a secret from me?"

He gasped at his father. "A secret? From you? S-Sure! B-But…won't Mother get mad at you?"

Simon grinned at him as he tapped his own forehead. "She won't. Take my word on that. Now then, we're going to take a trip to the basement. Follow me."

* * *

 _I didn't know what Father was thinking when he was taking me down to the basement. In fact, I hardly ever go down there, and when I did, it was usually to get some old stuff and tools. I could sense that Father was rather excited to go down into the basement to show me something down there. I just wasn't sure what it was. What he had to show me, though, was beyond my imagination..._

* * *

Sylvester stood at the base of the stairs leading up to the basement, while his father was going through and hunting for what he was looking for.

"Ah, here it is…"

He bent over slightly as he reached over a couple of boxes that were obstructing his path. Then, when he straightened himself, he was holding what looked to be a green box that's shaped like a treasure chest.

Sylvester's eyebrows rose. He wondered if this was supposed to be an actual treasure chest that's full of treasures, like in what he sees on TV shows about pirates.

Simon chuckled at his son and then asked as he held the box in front of his face, "Are you ready to see what's inside, Sylvester?"

He quickly nodded, eager to know.

Slowly, Simon opened the box. Sylvester quickly peaked inside only to see that…there was a purple, shiny rock? He felt his disappointment rising to the surface, now knowing that it wasn't a treasure box full of gold and jewelry. It was just a simple, purple rock in his eyes.

Simon smirked at him, "You seem disappointed, Sylvester. Let me explain… This is a rare kind of gem. It's called an amethyst."

"Am…e…thyst…" Sylvester slowly repeated.

He nodded at his son. "Yes… This is something special because… I used this to propose to your mother before we got married."

Sylvester's mouth gaped open. "Y-You did? I-I'm sorry, Father! I thought this was just a rock!"

With his free hand, not holding the box in front of his son, he patted Sylvester on the head gently. "It's okay, Sylvester. Now listen to me. This jewel has a history. The first owner of this precious jewel was your grandfather. From what I was told by your grandmother, it was his most precious jewel, as well as he came from a family of ore miners. He was given this amethyst by his own father, whom he said was an incredibly rare find, and was told to keep it and use it to propose to the woman that would make him happy. They weren't rich enough to afford a ring, so a rare jewel was the only way he'd get a chance to propose. It would have been passed down to your mother, but unfortunately…let's just say time didn't permit. So, your aunt and I held the jewel in her place, and would wait until the right moment to inform your mother about this stone. I was told the jewel's history by your aunt. They were close once. But when the time came, things changed. I fell in love with your mother, and as we dated, I thought that the best way to introduce her to the family heirloom was to use it to propose to her. And that's the story of the jewel I used to propose to your mother."

Sylvester was stunned. His mouth was gaped, feeling so much shock from hearing such a deep tale from his father that was laid into the jewel. "B-But where's grandma and grandpa?"

Simon lowered his head as he spoke the grim truth, "They're…both gone, Sylvester. Before your mother was born, your grandfather passed away, and when your mother was simply a child, your grandmother passed on as well. It was a…terrible, terrible day as your grandmother was simply a very wise woman who taught your aunt and me."

"Oh…" Sylvester felt his heart sink. His imagination couldn't permit him to think about what it must have felt like to live without a father or a mother for the majority of her life. "…So, Father, are you really giving this to me? I'm…only seven…"

"Yes, I am giving it to you," he said sternly, "but, I'm giving it to you because despite you being so young, you possess a keen intellect and sense of empathy. You have the most consistent and highest performance in school. We had intended to show you this heirloom when you were a teenager. But the fact that you've shown us to be such a bright hope and beloved son, I couldn't be more proud to do the honors of showing you this."

Simon closed the box and gently laid it down on the floor, because he could sense what was coming next. He could see his son's face clearly. He was weeping.

"F-Father… I…you never hated me, did you?" Sylvester asked as tears fell down his face.

Simon lightly sighed at him. "I know my appearance does not make me the most approachable person in the world. But, know that I love you deeply, my child. You are our pride and joy. We know you will do great things. And we will be there for you, every step of the way. I know I am not as affectionate as your mother. However, I will always make time for you whenever you need an ear lent to you for listening, and I will counsel my wisdom to you whenever you need it. Always remember that, Sylvester, my beloved son."

Sylvester's silent crying turned into a fully audible sob as he ran into his father's chest and cried into it. "F-Father! Oh, Father! I…I…love you so much!"

Gently, he wrapped Sylvester in his arms, and kissed him on the top of his head. "I do, too…Sylvester… I do, too…"

* * *

 _I was so happy that my father trusted me with such an important artifact with a deep history behind it. But more importantly, for him to say that he loves me and that he'll always be there for me, it makes me want to cry again, looking back on it… Huh, before I knew it, I'm nearing the end of writing this recollection down. I'll write how it ends another day. For now, I'm getting too emotional for my own good over something that happened in the past._


End file.
